U.S. Moms Get Free 'Baby Boxes' to Keep Newborns Safe While They Sleep

Updated: February 1, 2017

Baby Box Co.

It's a clever way to encourage new parents to put their babies down to sleep safely, and experts say it can help lower the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). And it comes in a simple gift-like box.

The baby box, as it's known, is an actual cardboard box with an actual baby-safe mattress inside, along with diapers, feeding supplies and other basics. Brand new parents in Finland have been getting similar boxes free of charge for decades — and now U.S. moms in New Jersey who have recently given birth will see them on their doorsteps too.

New Jersey’s Child Fatality and Near Fatality Review Board announced last week that it's partnering with The Baby Box Co. to offer moms across the state the creative (and informative) little care packages. The most important “gift” in the box for parents is the safe sleep education they'll have to get in order to receive one, says Kathryn McCans, MD, chair of the Board, which is offering the boxes thanks to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) grant and other funding. Parents have to complete an online tutorial about safe sleep at Baby Box University before they'll be able to get one for themselves.

“This is really an educational program about safe sleep,” McCans said. “It is the Board’s hope that if more parents and caregivers are educated about what choices they can make to help keep their babies safe, they will make those safe choices.”

The New Jersey baby box comes stocked with plenty of newborn essentials that new parents will love. In addition to the firm mattress inside, it includes a waterproof mattress cover and fitted sheet, Pampers Swaddlers diapers and baby wipes, Vroom activity cards from the Bezos Family Foundation, and Lansinoh breast pads and lanolin cream for breastfeeding moms, among other goodies, says The Baby Box Co. Co-Founder Jennifer Clary. All told, it's worth about $150.

The box itself comes in handy, too, since it doubles as a portable baby bed. It meets the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) standards as a bassinet, meaning it’s a safe place for your baby to sleep.

“It's the broad education of caretakers that I believe will decrease the incidence of these deaths through improved decision-making,” McCans said, citing SIDS and other causes of Sudden Unexpected Infant Death (SUID).

“It’s very important for people to understand that baby boxes are not inherently magical,” Clary said, adding that they "meet all applicable safety regulations, meaning they are objectively as safe as other equally accredited infant sleep spaces — when they are properly used.”

If you live in New Jersey, this is great news for you! But if not, you should still make sure you’re putting baby to sleep safely and are following the latest guidelines to prevent SIDS. Put baby down to bed on his or her back on a firm surface with tightly fitting sheets and keep all objects such as blankets, pillows and stuffed animals out of the crib.